Ice-cream freezer



. L. s. PFOUTS ICE CREAM FREEZER Nov. 9 1926. 1,606,382

original Filed Sept. 23, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1%, 5 P/zm' i7A Bx/Mwuenlioz i Nov. 9 1926.

L. s. PFOUTS ICE CREAM FREEZER Original Filed pt- 23. 1924 3sheets-Sheet 2 a: lam fipfaafs 1 W iY/QM Nov. 9, 1926. 1,606382 I L. s.PFouTs I GE CREAM FREEZER original Filed Sept. 23, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5WP I Zemy 1 /0115;

Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

UNI -ED STATE S. PFO U'IS, OF CANTON, OHIO.

Ion-CREAM nnnznn.

original ap'piieation filed September 23, 1924, Serial No. 739,319.Divided. aha this application filed April 13, 1925. s ri rnbpasea Theinvention relates to freezers for making icecream'and like productswherein a sterile inert gas is incorporatedwith the ice cream for thepurpose of displacing the impure air which would otherwise constitute alarge proportion of the ice cream and would be a dangerous deterioratingingredient unless displaced the inert gas, and is a division of mycopending application Serial No. 7 39,310, filed September 23, 1924:.

Sterile gas bearing ice creamhas been made by partially filling afreezer chamber with theliquid ingredients of the ice cream, theninserting a gas-tube into the chamber and forcing gas therein todisplace the air in the mixture and in the chamber. The tube is thenWithdrawn and the freezer mechanism operated.

'It has been found difiicult accurately to judge the amount of gasnecessary'to force into the chamber; and if, after the freezingoperation has commenced, it is desired to introduce more gas, it isnecessary to stop the freezing mechanism, and reinsert the tube. It hasmoreover been found that the air remaining in the chamber after it hasbeen partially filled with the liquidingreclients' will mix with theincoming gas so that it is practically impossibleto make ice cream inwhich all thevoi'ds are filled with a sterile inert gas.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a freezer in whichall the air in the freezer chamber is preferablydisplaced by msterileinert gas before the liquid ingredients are introduced. and in whichthere are co-ordinated valve means incorporated in the freezer foradmitting the original gas, and for'admitting more gas if desired afterthe freezing operation has been freezing mechanism including scrapers,spirally arranged. lifting blades, and whip ping rods which constantlyliftthe freezing mixture from umboaomer the freezer chamberand agitateitin contact with the inert gas for filling the voids of the ice creamwith the as it is frozen.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a parthereof, in which I i Figure 1 is a front-elevation of the improved icecream freezer; i

Fig. 2, a sicle'elevation of the same showing the motor drive Fig-J3,alongitudinal cross section same, as on line III;III, Fig.4;

\ "Fig. t,a top plan view of the same showing the air valves inlongitudinal"cross sed tion as on line IV-IV, Fig. 3; and

' Fig. 5, a transverse cross-section of the same, as on line VV5Fig. 3.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the drawings.

of the The improved freezer indicated at F, in-.

cludes a base 1 upon which is inounteda vertical supporting column 2carrying at its. upper end a mounting ring 8.

Agas inlet channel ring l, and an air valve and blade and scraper driveshaft upper bearing head 5 are seated upon the mounting ring as shown,while a discharge gate and blade and scraper drive shaft lower bearinghead 6'is spaced below the ring 3, and mounted on the base 1.

Betweenthe ring 3 and head 6 are fitted and mounted as shown an innerfreezer cylinder 7, a corrugated cylindrical freezing similar partsmixture helix former 8, and an outer cylin- 7 der' 9; thus forming acase having a freezing chamberC therein, V

A cork insulation 10 fills the space be tween the outer cylinder 9 andthe helix former 8, and" the helix former and the "cylinder 7 provide afreezing mixture helix Whose successive cross'sections are indicated y11. p i o.

A blade and scraper drive shaft 12 is centrally located in the freezerand journalled in upper bearing 13 in'the air head 5, and in l'owerbearing 14 'in'the discharge head 6. In the freezer and mounted uponthe'drive shaft 12, radially and vertically spaced blade's'15' andspaced scrapers 16are causes a progressive lifting of any material inthe freezer chamber.

The scrapers 16 are attached to the shaft 12 by means of pairs of radialarms 16 and 16 located at each end of the shaft in the freezer chamber.Between each pair of arms 16 and 16 there is also provided a pluralityof whipping rods 16". p

A drive gear case 17 is mounted on the base 1 by means of gear casebracket 18. A thrust bearing 19 is secured in the case for carrying thethrust load of the shaft 12 and a bevel follower gear 20 is keyed to thelower end of the shaft.

In the side of the case and in the base are located and alined driveshaft bearings 21 and 21, in which drive shaft 22 is ournalled. ()no endof the shaft extends into the gear case, where bevel drive pinion 23 iskeyed upon the shaft 22 and meshes with the bevel follower gear 20. Atthe opposite end of the drive shaft 22, beyond the base 1, a drive gearwheel 2% is keyed, which meshes with a drive pinion 25 secured to theshaft of a drive motor 26 mounted upon a motor base 27.

In the gas inlet channel ring 4 there is formed an annular channel 28the. bottom of which is provided with a plurality of circun'iferentiallyspaced gas inlet ,ports 29 which communicate directly with the interior.of the freezer. A tangential tube 30 connects one side of the gas ringwith the gas pipe line 31 in which is located a gas flow meter 32 and agas control valve 33; and a by-pass 34: having a bypass valve 35 maylead from the line 31 to the bottom of the freezer. The pipe 31 isconnected to a source of. gas supply, such as carbon dioxide, which ispreferably under pressure. (lo-axially located on the air valve head 5are two sleeve air valves 36 carried on a common air valve shaft 37.These valves control the outlets through which air escapes from thefreezer.

A skirt a is carried by the head 5 and ex tends into the freezingchamber, adjacent to the inlet ports 29, forming. a shield for saidinlet ports to protect them from the cream or other material to befrozen in the chamber, whereby said material is prevented from beingthrown or splashed into said ports and clogging the same. This'skirtalso serves to direct. the incoming gas along the side walls f thefreezing chamber tothe lower end of V the chamber. 7

i Conveniently located upon the side of the freezer there is providedacontrol lever 38 having an air valve bell crank 39, and a gas valvebell c 'ank 40. An air valve lever e'tl mounted on the outer end of airvalve shaft 37 is connected to the air valve bell crank 39 by means ofair valve link 42; while a gas valve lever 13 operating the gas controlvalve 38, is connected to the gas valve bell crank d0 by means of gasvalve link as.

A discharge gate 15 is provided in the dis-- charge head 6, while in theair valve head an inlet orifice 46 communicates with a batch tank 17suitably supported on the support ing column by means of extension lt).The air valve head is also provided witha peep-hole 4:9 for convenientinspection of the ice cream in the process of freezing, and forproviding an auxiliary air or gas outlet from the freezer chamber.

Pipe 50 is the inlet to the freezing mixture helix, while pipe 51 is theoutlet for the same, the said pipes being suitably connected into a linenot shown, which circulates a freezing mixture such as brine through thefreezing helix.

A tangential tube 50 connects the gas ring with a water supply lineopposite the gas tube 30, for providing an entrance for cleaning water,after the freezer has been emptied of the finished ice cream.

In operation, the control lever 38 is first actuated toopensimultaneously the gas inlet valve 33, and the air outlet valves 36.The

particular arrangement of the freezer parts illustrated is adapted forthe use of carbon dioxide asthe sterile'inert gas. Upon the opening ofthe gas valve 33, carbon dioxide being cr than air, will pass throughthe 1 flow meter 32, and the bypass valve 35 be ing closedfinto thechannel 28 of the gas inlet channel ring at, and through thecircumferentially spaced gas ports 29 guarded by the skirt 5 into thefrezing chamber C.

In the chamber the admitted gas will descend down 'the inside of theinnercylinder 7, displacing the lighter air and forcing it out throughthe open air valves.

hen the gas flow meter indicates that suliicient gas has been admittedto the freez ing chamber, preferably enough to displace all the air inthe chamber, the control lever is again actuated to close simultaneouslyboth the valves. 7

The freezing chamber now being filled with a sterile inert gas, theliquid ingredients of the ice cream may be admitted to the freezingchamber from the batch tank 17 through the inlet orifice 46 In order toattain rapidand easy filling of the tank with the required amount ofliquid ingredients, the peep-hole 49 is preferably opened to permit thedischarge of the gas displaced by the admitted liquids.

The-circulation of brine through the helix, and the operation of thescrapers, lifting gas inlet valve and the air outlet blades, andwhipping rods geared to the motor, is then commenced. The arrangement ofthe scrapers, blades and whipping rods of the present invention is suchthat liquid or partially frozen ice cream never remains at rest on thebottom or sides of the freezing chamber. The scrapers 16 constantlyremove the materials from the sides of the tank, while the rotation ofthe spirally spaced lifting blades constantly counteracts the tendencyof the materials to settle to the bottom of the tank. This and theaction of the whipping rods, thoroughly agitates the ice cream materialswith the previously admitted carbon dioxide in the freezing tank toproduce a smooth ice cream of high quality in which all the voids arefilled with a sterile inert gas.

If for any purpose it is desired to admit more gas into the freezingchamber during the freezing operation, the by-pass valve 35 may beopened to admit the desired amount of gas, without stopping theoperation of the scrapers, lifting blades, and whipping rods.

After freezing one batch of ice cream the batch may be removed throughthe discharge gate, and a new charge of inert gas may be introduced intothe freezer chamber without stopping the operation of the scrapers,lifting blades and whipping rods, so that the operation of the sametogether with the circulation of the brine can be carried oncontinuously.

I claim 1. An ice cream freezer or the like includ ing a case having afreezing chamber therein, a plurality of gas inlet ports communicatingwith the case and a skirt within the case surrounding said ports.

2. An ice cream freezer or the like includinga case having a freezingchamber therein, a plurality of circumferentially arranged gas inletports communicating with the chamber and a skirt within the easesurrounding said ports.

3. An ice cream freezer or the like including a case having afreezingchamber therein, an annular gas inlet channel in one end of the case, aplurality of ports between the inlet channel and the chamber and meansfor preventing material to be frozen in the freezing chamber from beingthrown 'into the ports.

4. An ice cream freezer or the like including a case having a freezingchamber therein, a gas inlet port and an air outlet port communicatingwith the upper end of the chamber, valves for the ports, and meanscoordinating the operation of the valves.

5. An ice cream freezer or the like ineluding a case having a freezingchamber therein, a gas inlet port and an air outlet port communicatingwith the upper end of in the chamber,

the chamber, valves for the ports, means coordinating the operation ofthe valves, and a gas flow meter for the inlet port.

6. An ice cream freezer or the like including a case having a freezingchamber therein, an annular gas inlet channel in one end of the case, aplurality of ports between the inlet channel and the chamber, means forpreventing material to be frozen in the freezing chamber from beingthrown into the ports and an air outlet port in the upper end of thecase leading from the chamber.

7. An ice cream freezer or the like including an upright case having afreezing chamber therein, an annular gas inlet channel in the upper endof the case, a plurality of ports between the inlet channel and thechamber, means for preventing material to be frozen in the freezingchamber from being thrown into the ports and an air outlet port in theupper end of the case leading from the chamber.

8. An ice cream freezer including a case having an upright freezingchamber therein, an upright drive shaft operatively mounted a pluralityof scrapers mounted on the shaft, a plurality of whipping rodscircumferentially mounted about the shaft and a plurality of radialblades mounted upon the shaft, each blade having a boss, the severalbosses of the blades being mounted end to end upon the shaft.

9. An ice cream freezer or the like including a case having a freezingchamber, a pluralit-y of gas inlet ports communicating with the ease andmeans for preventing material to be frozen in the freezing chamber frombeing thrown into the ports.

10. An ice cream freezer or the like including a case having a freezingchamber, a plurality of gas inlet ports communicating with the ease anda skirt extended into the freezing chamber adjacent to said ports toguide the gas along the walls of the freezing chamber and to protect theports from material to be frozen in the freezing chamber.

11. An ice cream freezer or the like including a case having a freezingchamber and a plurality of gas inlet ports communieating with the caseand a skirt so located that material to be frozen in the freezingchamber cannot be thrown into theports.

12. An ice cream freezer or the like including a freezing chamber, a gasinlet port and an air outlet port communicating with the top of thechamber, means for admitting heavier-than-air gas into the inlet portand means for indicating when the chamber is filled with gas.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

LEROY S. PFOUTS.

